


The World Is Ugly (But You're Beautiful to Me)

by EverythingIsNightvale



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Brotherly Bonding, Diego is not a Hargreeves, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Gay Panic, Good Brother Luther Hargreeves, Light Angst, M/M, No Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21579670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverythingIsNightvale/pseuds/EverythingIsNightvale
Summary: After years have passed, Luther is now the only official member of The Umbrella Academy. He was getting used to working alone when a vigilante calling himself The Kraken begins showing up at crime scenes. To add to the stress, Luther is dealing with budding feelings for a barista named Diego. Of course, those are two very different problems...right?
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Eudora Patch, Diego Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 001

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I just want to stress again, that this is an AU where Diego was never adopted by Hargreeves. This is not an incest or pseudo-incest story. Luther and Diego are not related.
> 
> Any enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 001

The Umbrella Academy was no more. It hadn’t been for a while. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. It was still there, but they were a crime-fighting group in the same way Panic! At the Disco was a band. It was just Brenden now and everyone knew that. Now it was just Luther. Number One. How long had he wanted to be the best? The one the public adored. Dad’s favorite. Now he was the only one, he was all of that by default. It wasn’t what he had hoped it would be.

This thought made him sigh. As much as Klaus annoyed him, Luther would even welcome his company. This mission was boring. Stakeouts usually were, but Luther seemed to have no patience tonight. The arms deal he was watching out for what was supposed to have started hours ago. Why couldn’t the bad guys be punctual for once? It was nearly 3 in the morning and Luther was tired. He had finished his thermos full of coffee around midnight and now sleep was calling. The only thing that stopped him from walking to that McDonald’s he saw, other than the fact that he was in uniform and that would cause a commotion, was the crushing weight of his father’s potential disappointment. He couldn’t abandon his post. No matter how badly he wanted coffee and a cheeseburger. 

Finally, he could see a boat pulled into the dock, right around the same time a van rolled to a stop next to a nearby gate. The van said Doug’s Carpet Cleaning on the side in a worn logo with faded red letters. Several men got out and in Luther’s opinion, none of them looked like a Doug. Doug sounded like a nice elderly man with a plump cheerful face. These men were in their early to late twenties, muscular and covered in tattoos that Luther identified as belonging to a local gang. Still, what did Luther know about names? His legal name was still Number One.

Other men began to get out of the boat, carrying up large wooden crates from below deck. This was it. As soon as Luther saw them exchange money, he would strike. He’d have to be careful. There were at least twenty or so men, all of them armed, and Luther, while strong, was not bulletproof. 

He wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but they talked for a good 20 minutes until someone opened a briefcase full of cash.

Now he would-

The guy with the briefcase found himself with a knife sticking out of the top of his hand causing him to cry out in pain and drop the briefcase. Where had that come from? Two more knives popped the tired on the van before Luther found the source. There was a new man standing on the dock. He had on tight black pants and a grey and black striped shirt. There was some sort of symbol on it but Luther couldn’t make out what it was because he was also wearing a harness full of knives.

People began shooting, but the newcomer was too fast, easily disarming the man closest to him. Luther realized then that he hadn’t moved since the exchange because. Shit. He had a job to do. Besides, this guy could get hurt. Luther jumped down from his spot on the roof, cracking the cement below as he landed. He immediately threw himself into the fight, pushing two guys heads together and knocking them both out with a sickening crack.  
“What are you doing here?” Luther asked the stranger. “It’s dangerous.” The stranger was wearing a mask, almost similar to the one Luther was wearing, but instead of having the eyes whited out, it looked like he had just covered his eyelids with black paint. He hadn’t just happened to be walking by with a harness full of knives. He came here on purpose.

“Really? I couldn’t tell.” He threw another knife, hitting his intended target perfectly. Luther might’ve been impressed if this guy wasn’t so irritating.

“You know, sarcasm is a sign of low intelligence,” he huffed. 

“That’s rich coming from the guy that’s all brawn and no brain.”

Luther felt undignified anger rising in his chest as his pride was wounded. “I’ll have you know I have a degree in aerospace engineering.” Luther didn’t know why he felt the need to defend himself to this...this...vigilante, but he did.

“Congratulations, did you want me to throw you a party?” He asked, rolling his eyes as he disarmed another assailant. 

Sarcasm again? First, he called him stupid, then he isn’t impressed by his degree? What was this guy’s problem?

“Hey, what’s your problem?” Luther asked in a snapping tone as he broke the neck of another attacker. 

“Problem? Who said I had a problem? I just want to get scum like this off the streets. I don’t need fame or glory, or a breakfast cereal named after me,” he said. 

By this point, all of the men were on the ground. Some were dead but not all, some were still groaning. 

“It sure sounds like you’ve got a problem,” Luther said with a frown. The breakfast cereal wasn’t his idea but Space Boy Bites were delicious, this guy could fuck off. “What you’re doing is illegal you know. I have a deal with the government, both local and federal law enforcement, and-”

“You know what happens when you become a super-powered celebrity? You state to worry more about being seen than actually helping,” he hissed. 

“That’s not true,” he argued. Yes, Luther liked the attention, but more than anything he wanted to help people. He wanted to save the world. That’s why he stuck around even after the others left.

“Oh yeah? My neighborhood was full of crime growing up and I never once saw the famous Umbrella Academy. Do you know what was gonna happen with these guns? That piece of shit gang was going to take them back and give them to the kids they’ve been recruiting, the kids who think they have no other option.”

“I can’t be everywhere!” Luther snapped. “It’s just me now and I’m doing what I can to stop as many crimes as possible, but I have to prioritize crimes that will affect as many people as possible.”

“You mean you have to prioritize crimes that affect as many rich white people as possible.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth-”

“Look out!” He grabbed Luther and pulled him to the side, while his other arm grabbed a knife and threw, burying itself into the chest of a man that had raised a gun to shoot him. Luther felt a cold sensation spread at the realization that he could’ve just died. He had been so focused on the conversation that he wasn’t paying attention to what was around him.

Both were silent. Taking a moment to breathe after what had just happened. There were sirens in the distance and that seemed to spur them into motion.

“Deal with that for me, won’t you?” He said, turning back towards the water.

“Wait, what’s your name?” Luther asked.

“Kraken,” he replied, making Luther’s nose wrinkle a bit.

“Kraken?”

“You’ve got a problem with that Space Boy?” He asked. 

Okay, touche. 

Before Luther could say anything else, Kraken jumped into the water. Luther waited for him to resurface but that never happened. Strange. 

Luther couldn’t explain why he gathered all the knives before the police arrived or why he didn’t mention the Kraken in his statement. He really couldn't explain why he didn’t mention the Kraken in his report to dad. He wasn’t sure he wanted to explain. He just wanted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 002

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luther is still dealing with last night's encounter, but first he just really needs some caffeine.

Chapter 002

Luther’s alarm went off at exactly 6:30am, just like it had every day of his life. However, today was different. Today, for the first time ever, Number One pressed snooze. He knew that he couldn’t sleep the whole day. That was one way to seriously mess up his sleep schedule. Still, it felt like he had just closed his eyes. So Luther skips his morning run and sleeps until breakfast, sitting at the table just in time for mom to set up a plate of bacon and eggs with orange juice. Normally he’d be content with his typical breakfast but today he felt like the walking dead. Luther wanted coffee. So as soon as his plate was clear he set off on his quest. He hardly ever left the house. He never knew when dad could need him. But he knew he wouldn’t be out long, and his performance depended on his ability to stay awake. He didn’t go to Griddy’s even though that was the closest place with coffee. It felt wrong to go there by himself. That was their place. So he walked passed it, casting one last glance as he continued on his way. 

A few more blocks down he found a coffee shop called the Bean Machine. It was a stupid name. So stupid Luther Considered looking for a different coffee shop, but this one was right her, so he went in.

The little bell above the door rang and he was greeted by AC and the smell of espresso. The coffee shop itself wasn’t very big and it was quiet for the time being. On instinct Luther observed and made note of his surroundings. There was a man sitting on his lap top. Two women with a baby in a stroller, and another girl reading. No obvious threats. There was one visible exit, the one he just came through. There were two other doors, one leading to what was likely a bathroom, and one that lead to the back kitchen. There was potentially a second exit through the kitchen. The barista, who seemed to be the only one working at the moment, was wiping down the counter. He looked about as tired as Luther felt. Luther filed away all of this information in his brain and turned his attention to the menu. He understood less than half of it. 

“Good morning, what can I get for you?” The man behind the counter asked. He didn’t bother with a fake customer service smile and Luther appreciated that. 

“Uh, coffee?” he asked.

The man, Diego according to his name tag, smiled. “You’re gonna need to be more specific than that buddy.” 

“Sorry,” Luther muttered. He really needed to get out more. It shouldn’t be this hard to order coffee. But why was their menu so big? “I don’t usually come to places like this.”

“I see, more of a black coffee only kind of guy?” Diego asked.

Luther wrinkled his nose. “Not exactly, I take cream and sugar.” A lot of sugar.

“Okay,” Diego said. “If you like sweets get the turtle mocha. It’s got your basics, chocolate, caramel, and espresso.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Luther agreed. It sounded more like a dessert than a drink, but he’d take it.

“Coming right up,” Diego said writing on a paper cup. “And your name?”

He always had to think before answering. He had three names. Each to be used at different times. “Luther.”

“Luther,” he said writing it down. “I’ll have your drink ready in just a bit.”

Luther thanked him as he paid. He took his drink once Diego was done and sat at one of the empty tables. He couldn’t help but to steal another glance at Diego. Luther could tell the other man had a good workout routine. He looked well sculpted. Luther could respect that. It took discipline to look that good. 

His phone rang, throwing him off his train of thought. The name Allison (002) appeared on the screen.

“Hello, this is Luther,” he answered.

“I know it’s you Luther, I called you,” Allison said. He could practically hear her eye roll in her voice.

“I know that,” he replied with a frown. “Do you need something?”

“No, just bored. I’m sure you are too,” she said. As children, he and Allison hadn’t gotten along. Both were constantly competed for attention. Somewhere along the way, she began to crave a different kind of attention. Allsion leaving fo rLA was the best thing that happened to their relationship. She no longer felt like a rival. She felt like a sister. 

“I’m not bored,” he defended. “I’m out getting coffee.”

“Wait seriously?” She asked, surprised.

“Light night,” he told her shrugging, even though she couldn’t see the shrug. “You’ll never guess who showed up during my stakeout.”

“Who?” She asked. 

“A vigilante. Someone who called himself the Kraken. He just showed up and started throwing knives and being over all annoying,” he said.

“Damn, you sound impressed,” she teased. 

“I am not impressed. He was impulsive and full of himself,” Luther argued.

“Seems like the two of you should get along then,” he said.

“We didn’t. He spent the entire fight insulting me.” She could probably hear how Luther was pouting.

“What did Dad have to say about this vigilante?” She asked.

Luther was silent.

“Luther?”

“I didn’t tell him,” he confessed.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “If he shows up again I’ll mention it.”

“Hold on, you actually like this guy, don’t you?” She asked. She was teasing him, he was sure of that, but there was an edge of seriousness in her voice.

“I do not,” he insisted. “He’s an annoying thorn in my side.”

“You want to see him again. You hope he shows up. I know you Luther, you hate working alone,” she said.

“I’m hanging up now.”

“No wait. I’m so bor-”

Luther hung up.

“Was that your ex?” Diego asked, wiping off a table nearby. 

“Sister,” Luther told him.

“Makes sense, older or younger?”

“Same age,” Luther said. “Adopted, not twins.”

“That cool. I have an older sister. She likes to call me once a day to make sure I’m okay. You let it slip that you eat candy for breakfast one time and suddenly you’re not a functional adult.”

Luther chuckled at that. “You’re doing better than I am. If my mom didn’t insist on cooking I’d probably live off of protein shakes.”

Diego made a face. “Protein shakes are terrible. I bake my protein into brownies.”

“You can do that?” Luther’s interest was peaked.

“You can,” Diego said. “I’ll bring some into work tomorrow if you want to stop by again.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Luther found himself agreeing without a second thought.

“Cool, it’s a date.” Before he could say anything else the bell above the door rang, and Diego left to get back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr at everythingisnightvale.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 003

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego was on his mind, but Luther still had a job to do. Unfortunately, the Kraken has the same job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday! Here is a new chapter for you all. I'm planning on updating this fic every Wednesday (or close to Wednesday in case I forget). I've already written up to chapter 5 so I'm going at a good pace.

Chapter 003

It’s a date.

The word echoed in his head. It was just a saying. It wasn’t an actual date. Luther shouldn’t be nervous, but he was. It’s not that boys couldn’t date. Klaus had shown him they very much could. It’s just that his absolutely wasn’t a date. 

Luther shook his head. It was probably not good to be distracted on a mission. It was a simple mission tonight. Luther just needed to stand there on the roof and wait for the bad guys to show up and decide that this place wasn’t worth trying to rob once they saw him.

“Two nights in a row? Must be my lucky weeks.” Kraken’s voice broke through the silence of the night.

Luther sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to deal with this night. He wanted to stop the museum from getting robbed so he could go to bed at a decent time and not look like a zombie tomorrow when he saw Diego. Not that he was trying to impress him or anything. 

“What are you doing here?” Luther asked.

“Same as you I guess. Trying to stop a robbery before it happens,” he said.

“Well, I have it handled so you can call it a night,” Luther told him.

“Not a chance. I’ve been tracking these guys for months,” Kraken replied.

Luther frowned. “What do you mean?” He had assumed it was a simple run of the mill robbery team. 

“The same team always robs someplace in the area at the same time every year. Last year it was a bank. The time before that some jewels that happen to be passing through,” Kraken said.

Why hadn’t Dad mentioned that? Did he know? “Why only steal once a year?” 

“Weren’t you listening? They rob a place in the area once a year. They hit places up and down the coast.”

So this wasn’t a one-off run of the mill robbery. These guys were professionals. If they hadn’t been caught yet, this may be harder than expected.

“There they are,” Kraken said. A van was pulling up. It had the name of a cleaning company on the side. Luther recognized it. It was the same company that regularly cleans the museum. He watched as four men got out of the van, wheeling carts full of cleaning supplies. 

“Are you sure?” Luther asked.

“I’m sure,” Kraken replied. He already had two knives in each hand. 

A part of Luther wanted to question him. His voice was the voice of authority, not this Kraken, but a part of Luther wanted to trust him. It had been so long since he could trust anyone to watch his back and well, the last time they worked together, Kraken did just that.

“Okay, what’s the plan then?” He asked. “And before you say it, I’m not leaving. Technically I was here first.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been watching them longer.” It was an immature argument, but Kraken didn’t push it further. 

“We’ll come in through the roof. There’s a security access door that’s easy enough to open,” he said.

“So we’re going to break into the museum to stop the people who are breaking into the museum?”

“If you’re going to spend the entire night questioning me, we’re not going to get anywhere. These guys work fast,” Kraken said. Without waiting for Luther to follow, he rushed off to the roof of the museum. It didn’t take him long to pick the lock, and since the alarms were likely already cut, there was no commotion when he opened it.

Luther followed, ignoring the hum of excitement in his body. Stopping robberies weren’t supposed to be exciting...but it still kind of was. Diego was finally pushed from his mind as he focused on the task at hand. 

There was a traveling exhibit on the 4th floor. Emeralds of the world. No doubt that was where they were. Kraken walked with steps so soft Luther couldn’t hear them at all, which was impressive given his size. He could hear people talking softly in the exhibit. He looked at the Kraken who looked back at him, and without speaking they were in sync going into the room and the fighting began. 

Fighting with the Kraken was nicer than it should have been. It had really taken Luther the one battle to adapt to how the others fought. It was violent, nothing at all like the delicate style Allison had developed. It was also controlled, none of the chaos that Ben had. In truth, it rivaled Luther’s own. The only difference was the Kraken didn’t seem to understand that you were supposed to dodge. He sure could take a punch but Luther wished he’d try to avoid them. 

Luther’s fist met the chin of a guy holding an emerald the size of a head. Luther caught it as it went flying. He wasn’t sure if emeralds were delicate enough to shatter on impact, but he tried to minimize collateral damage where he could. Something else that the Kraken seemed to care little about. 

He could see blood dripping down the other’s wrist. His palms were likely cut up from fall onto the glass on the ground. They needed to finish this fight quickly.

“Fuck this, activate the fail-safe,” a man with a gruff voice commanded. Another man lunge for the cleaning cart they brought in. Luther tried to grab him but came up just short. He pressed his hand down onto a button and there was a soft beep. A read countdown appeared. 3 Minutes. 

Ice filled his veins. A bomb.

“Kraken!” He tried to bring the other’s attention to it, but he didn’t seem to hear. The thieves began to flee but Luther paid them no mind. His father wouldn’t be happy about that. He was supposed to stop the heist no matter the cost, but he found himself unable to obey that order now that the cost was another’s life. 

He watched as the Kraken finally went down, a harsh punch to the side of his head stunning him enough for him to lose his balance. The last crook was running but Diego stayed down, breathing heavily, unaware of the new threat. 

There was no time to think. The timer was running down quickly. Luther ran at him, picking him up with ease. 

“What the hell,” Kraken’s speech was slightly slurred, but Luther didn’t respond. He held the Kraken as close to him as he could, shielding him as he kicked open the nearest window, jumping down. His knees hurt slightly as he hit the concrete below, but he didn't let that stop him. He put as much distance between them as the building as he could. The Kraken squirmed in his arms but stopped as the shockwaves of the explosion echoed through the sleeping city. 

“Fuck,” the Kraken said breathlessly. “You just saved my life.” He sounded surprised. Why was he surprised? Luther’s job was to save people.

“Yeah, now we’re even,” Luther insisted.

They were quiet for a moment. “Can you put me down now?” He asked.

Luther blushed without meaning too. He gently set the Kraken down. 

“I’ll deal with the police and fire department when they get here, you should get out of here,” Luther said. 

The Kraken looked skeptically at him. Why was Luther letting him go?

“Thanks,” he replied, making his way away from Luther. He was limping just slightly but other than some cuts and a concussion he seemed otherwise okay. Besides, Luther heard sirens approaching. He had other things to deal with than an injured vigilante. 

Talking to the police was the easy part, what wasn’t easy was dealing with what he knew was coming. He saw the sleek black car approach and park out of the corner of his eye. If Dad was here instead of waiting at home, Luther knew it wouldn’t be a good conversation. He wrapped things up and went to the car.

“Care to tell me what went wrong Number One,” Reginald Hargreeves wore an unreadable expression. 

“I didn’t anticipate them having a bomb. I wasn’t prepared for professionals,” he said. “The briefing didn’t state-”

“You should be prepared for any possibility,” his father cut him off. He wouldn’t accept any of the blame for his child’s failure.

Failure. That’s how Reginald saw it. That was how Luther should see it, but strangely enough, he didn’t. He was proud. Things had gone horribly wrong and yet he was proud. It was a strange feeling.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” His father’s biting tone brought him out of his thoughts.

“It won’t happen again,” he promised. He wasn’t sure if he could keep that promise though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hello on tumblr!
> 
> everythingisnightvale.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked this first chapter! The plan is to get on a regular update schedule, but we shall see how that works out. Once I have for sure dates I'll let you know!
> 
> Feel free to swing by my tumblr and say hi!  
> www.everythingisnightvale.tumblr.com


End file.
